Thursday, January 31, 2019

5 Reasons to Pilot Student Podcasting Projects

Written by John Spencer.   
To check out the full post and see how you can sign up for email updates like this one, 
click this LINK 

The Advantages of Podcasting with Students

  1. It doesn’t take fancy equipment. Students can record and even edit audio on their smartphones or tablet. Often, videos will require the correct lighting or staging. However, a podcast is different because it’s limited to sound. Many of the tools are free. Students can edit audio with Audacity, which you can use on a Mac, PC, or in Linux.
  2. You can listen on the go. As a teacher, you can load all the audio to one place and listen on the way home. Similarly, students can listen to each other’s podcasts as well.
  3. It’s a chance for students to develop their voice. Students can own the entire process, from inquiry through research, through composition, editing, and launching. In the process, they can practice their public speaking skills, interview skills, and communication skills.
  4. It’s a way for all students to participate. Because you can prep ahead of time and edit afterward, I found that many introverts actually thrive when given the chance to podcast. Similarly, ELL students who might need additional language support have the time and space to practice ahead of time before recording.
  5. It develops lifelong skills. Students learn how to research, think critically, create, iterate, and empathize with an audience. In some cases, you might even have students market their podcasts and learn how to reach an authentic audience.

Things to Consider Before Podcasting:

Before getting started with student podcasts, consider the following:
  • How much time do you want to spend on your podcasts? Will your students be editing the podcasts and adding audio or is this more of quick record? If you have time to spend on it, you can have students create well-polished podcasts. However, there’s nothing wrong with having students create podcasts quickly with a focus on the learning/processing of information. Consider, too, if you will have students create a single podcast and drop it as a binge-worthy season or if they’ll stick to a weekly schedule.
  • Who is the intended audience? Think through whether you want students to publish to classmates, to parents, to the school, or to the larger global community. You’ll need to be sure that you are COPA and CIPPA compliant and that you have the correct media releases.
  • Where will you house the podcasts? If you want to have a public podcast and reach a larger audience, you might want to go with a self-hosted WordPress site that will allow you to upload audio and create a feed on iTunes. However, you create a modified version of this by having students record the audio with a simple image in the background as a YouTube video or by posting a link on Google Drive.
  • Is there a quiet space? It helps if you have permission to move outside but it might also help to use a foam device to reduce audio distractions.
  • How will you keep it authentic? The last thing students want to do is create an audio worksheet or even an audio essay. A podcast is a different format and, on some level, a different genre of composition. How will you help students explore an audio-only format? What will they need to focus on?
  • How is this supporting learning? In other words, how will you connect your podcast to the standards?

Friday, January 25, 2019

Googley Art Ideas

Looking for ways to engage your student in online art lessons?  

Check out Eric Curt's Control Alt Achieve blog post for all you need to carry out these lessons in your classroom.


#1 - Pixel Art with Google Sheets
https://www.controlaltachieve.com/2017/02/sheets-pixelart.html


#2 - Mondrian Art with Google Sheets
https://www.controlaltachieve.com/2018/10/mondrian-sheets.html




#3 - Self-Portraits with Google Drawings 
http://www.julielyle.com/2018/12/digital-art-and-google-drawings.html
(credit to Julie Lyle)


Tuesday, January 15, 2019

Getting Googley with Primary Students

Build a Snowman with Google Slides
http://www.controlaltachieve.com/2016/12/build-snowman.html

This is a fun activity where students make a snowman using pieces and parts provided, and then write a story about them. This is a great way to develop tech skills such as copy and paste, drag and drop, and basic of Google Slides. It also encourages creativity and writing skills.


Wintertime Magnetic Poetry with Google Drawings


Google Drawings also works well for drag and drop activities like "Magnetic Poetry". With this template, students are provided with 100 common words from the Dolch list, as well as many winter-themed words. They can then drag and drop these words onto the canvas to write a poem, sentence, or story.



See these activities and many more primary focused Google activities on Eric Curt's blog Control Alt Achieve.

Monday, January 7, 2019

Google Teacher Tribe Podcast

Image result for google teacher tribe podcast jpg



The Google Teacher Tribe Podcast is a weekly podcast designed to give K-12 educators practical ideas for using G Suite and other Google tools hosted by Matt Miller (Ditch That Textbook) and Kasey Bell (Shakeup Learning).



There are over 73 podcasts available.  The latest podcast features Kim Mattina discussing how to create your own Google Expedition.  







For a full list of the 73 podcasts currently available in iTunes preview click HERE


 Stay up to date with Google Workspace Updates! Click on the icon to visit the subject-specific blog.